


After Ever After: Love's Sweet Perfume

by puss_nd_boots



Series: After Ever After [1]
Category: D (Band), DIAURA, Gotcharocka, Lycaon (Band), Royz, SCREW (Band)
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Frottage, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 05:01:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9584648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puss_nd_boots/pseuds/puss_nd_boots
Summary: Sequel to the A Sort of Fairy Tale series. Ruiza, a former Culling candidate, gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he's asked by Prince Yo-ka to be the official royal perfumier. Tatsuya, a friend of Yo-ka's from school, already had opportunity in his life when he was named his friend's Undersecretary of the Exchequer. They come together for professional reasons, but the sparks that start flying aren't quite professional.





	

**Author's Note:**

> DIAURA belongs to Ains, Royz belongs to B.P. Records, D and Gotcharocka belong to God Child Records, Fest Vainqueur belongs to PLUG RECORDS west, Initial’L is property of Battle Cry Sound Company. I own the story only. My first post-series fic in the A Sort of Fairy Tale universe! There will most likely be others about other people involved in the Culling. I just had to make Kazuki and Ruiza brothers after seeing a number of adorable pictures of the two hugging.

You might have heard the story of the Culling of Prince Yo-ka of Valluna, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Veekay. You may know about the Happily Ever After to that tale, how the prince’s brother found his own true love among the contestants, and the Crown Prince himself found someone to be his Pledged.

But that is not the end of the story, nor is it the only one. Because there is always life beyond Happily Ever After – both for those who found love, and for those who surround them. Even if someone did not find their happiness in the Culling, that did not mean they didn’t find it later.

This is one of those stories.

* * *

For the Earl of Denis-Auvergne-Puy-de-Dome, life after the Culling wasn’t as simple and straightforward as it was beforehand.

Of course, during the Culling, he hadn’t been an Earl, he’d been just Ruiza of D. At home, he’d been just Ruiza, a perfume chemist. But now, well . . . he was something of a local celebrity.

He’d arrived home to cheering crowds at the train station. They were proud a local boy had become a nobleman – even if he hadn’t won the prince’s heart. He was profiled in his local newspaper. Total strangers came up to him on the street to tell him they’d heard him on the radio and he sounded so good and he was so gorgeous and really, what was the prince thinking, not picking him?

All he’d wanted to do was go back to work and spend time with the people who meant the most in the world to him – his brother and his dog.

He lived with his brother, Kazuki, in an apartment in a fairly quiet part of the district. They’d moved there together once Ruiza graduated from university, since there were, Kazuki was quick to point out, more opportunities in the heart of the city than in “the sticks” where they’d come from.

“You know I’m proud of you,” Kazuki said to him one day not long after he’d come home. “I felt that way when you got chosen for the Culling and I still feel that way now. Our district never had a nobleman quite like you!”

“I don’t feel like a nobleman,” Ruiza told him. “Not really. I still feel like I’m just . . . me.”

“Well, of course you’re just you,” Kazuki said. “You might be attracting a bit more attention, true, but you’re still the same cute Ruiza you always were. You don’t regret doing the Culling, do you?”

“No,” Ruiza said. “Never. I met the best people I’ve ever known in my life there. In fact? I still miss them. A lot.”

“We could always go visit them, you know,” Kazuki said. “Even your friend who ended up with the prince. You’re an Earl now, they have to let you into the palace, right?”

Kazuki wondered if he could, indeed, just barge into the palace and ask to see Subaru or Yo-ka. He didn’t want to interfere with either one of them, though. They were trying to build new lives . . . just as Ruiza was trying to resume his old one.

He didn’t know, however, that his Culling life was about to pay off for him in more ways than one.

* * *

It started out as an ordinary day at work for him. Well, as ordinary as days got post-Culling, with workers in other departments making excuses to go past the fragrance lab and see “the Culling boy” at work.

And then, there was a knock on the lab door. He went to answer it, thinking it might be higher-ups tired of this spectator business proposing to move him to a lab with no windows.

Instead, he found a lot of uniformed military officers, led by a very official-looking commander with a scroll in his hand. “Um . . . can I help you?” he said.

The officer unrolled the scroll and read, “By order of His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Valluna, His Excellency the Earl of Denis-Auvergne-Puy-de-Dome is hereby summoned and commissioned to become the Perfumier to the Royal Court.”

“I’ve . . . been summoned?” Ruiza said. He knew Yo-ka said he would find a way for them all to be together again – but he wasn’t expecting this! “But . . . but I have a job here . . .”

“A Royal Summons overrules all other employment,” the officer said.

“I have an apartment . . . my brother lives with me, and my dog . . .”

“Accommodations have been made for you in the capital,” the officer said. “There is room for the dog and your brother, and His Highness will find work for your brother in whatever he does.”

“Well, he’s an artist,” Ruiza said. “I’m actually the one who supports both of us. I . . .”

“We shall inform the prince that your brother is to have a studio,” the officer said. “You have 48 hours to prepare to move to the capital.”

“But . . . our lease . . .”

“The palace will deal with your landlord, we just need the information. We will return in 48 hours to escort you to your new home.” The officer handed him the scroll and bowed. “Good day, Your Excellency!”

Ruiza just stood there in his white lab coat, staring at the scroll in his hands in disbelief. A commission . . . to create perfumes for the royal family? With paid accommodations? Commissions like this usually only happened to nobles, right?

But you ARE a noble, remember? he reminded himself. You’re an earl now.

He wondered what Kazuki was going to think. What he was going to tell his boss. What . . .

At that moment, his boss burst in, looking distraught. “They told me!” he said. “I know!”

“Sir,” Ruiza said, “I’m very sorry.”

“No need to be sorry!” his boss said. “Okay, I’m going to have to replace my best chemist, sure, but this is a royal commission, Ruiza! Almost nobody gets those! And besides – you can’t turn it down if you want to keep your head, you know what I mean?”

“I hardly think Yo-ka’s going to have my head removed,” Ruiza said.

“You just call him Yo-ka?” the boss said, looking shocked.

“Of course. We all called him that. And he called us just by our names.”

“Geez, if you're that casual with him, no wonder he made you an earl,” the boss said. “Now, go! Get ready to go to the capital! Enjoy your new life working for the royal family! You’ll be missed here, you know!”

Clutching his scroll, still smelling of the scents he was working with, he headed for the elevator. Oh, my God, he thought. I’m really going to the capital for good. I’m really going to be employed by the royal family! I may even see my friends again!

The Culling, it seemed, was just the start of a new life for him.

* * *

Tatsuya frequently got told by people that he was so lucky to be working for the Royal Family, that he had such a respectable title, that he had gone so much further in life than anyone else in his family.

He knew better. “Undersecretary of the Exchequer” certainly did sound respectable on the surface. It was even high-ranking enough that he had a “Sir” added in front of his name – which didn’t quite make him a member of the nobility, but it did make him one of the gentry. Not high-ranking enough to sit at the better tables at royal balls, but good enough to at least get in the door without question.

Privately, though, he knew that his title was just a fancy way of saying “rank-and-file accountant,” and he got his job because he was a school friend of Prince Yo-ka. Okay, so he had attended a very swanky private school – he wouldn’t have met the prince otherwise. But he got into that school purely on a scholarship, by winning a competition in his old school back in his middle-class home district.

So he quietly accepted people’s assessment of what his life was like and didn’t contradict it. And every morning, he left his apartment in the building owned by the Crown to house its employees. He went to work, where he crunched numbers supplied to him by his boss, the Secretary of the Exchequer – who WAS a member of the nobility. He listened to co-workers gossiping about the royals and higher nobility – which grew especially fast and furious during and right after the Culling.

And at night, he returned to his apartment – where, by the way, he lived alone – made dinner, listened to shows on the radio, maybe read awhile, and went to bed. An exciting and glamorous life it was not.

He was very glad when Prince Yo-ka returned from his quest to find a mate, because that meant he’d go back to working directly on his friend’s accounts again, rather than dealing with the king – who he found to be a bit of a blowhard. Fortunately, His Majesty tended not to scrutinize the financial records very deeply. Not that the Exchequer department engaged in any hanky-panky – on the contrary, they were extremely honest with everything – but Tatsuya would prefer not to answer questions about every single expense charged to every single government department.

A couple of months after the Culling ended, Yo-ka came into the Exchequer department. The lower accountants and secretaries all jumped up from their desks and bowed as they passed – even though the prince waved his hand and said, “Please – that is NOT necessary!”

Tatusya stood up from his desk as well. “I’m not bowing,” he said. “Don’t worry.”

“Good, because I’d have to punch you,” Yo-ka said. “Big news – we’re adding another royal department, and I’m putting their finances directly under you.”

“ANOTHER one?” Tatusya said. “Your idea, or your father’s?”

“Entirely mine. And it’s more of a sub-department, it’s being put under the Department of Science and Chemistry.”

“Oh?” Tatusya replied. “Medical stuff?”

“Not quite,” Yo-ka said. “I’ve commissioned a Royal Perfumier.”

“You WHAT?” Tatusya said. “Look, Yo-ka, I know you can be picky about what you put on your skin, but your own custom colognes? Isn’t that taking it a bit too far?”

“That sounds just like what my father said,” Yo-ka said. “I managed to convince him that it’s a business venture. The department will make perfumes just for the royal family, yes, but it will also design a line of Royal Fragrances to be marketed to the public – at middle-class price points. Middle-class people will love the idea of smelling like royalty.”

“Clever,” Tatusya said. “If you weren’t a prince, you’d actually be a decent businessman. But what brought this on, anyway? Bad experience with mass-market perfumes?”

“No,” Yo-ka said. “I wanted to give one of my Culling candidates a job in the capital. In fact, I want to give ALL my Culling candidates – well, the top six, anyway – jobs in the capital. I’m trying to convince my father next that the culinary department needs an in-house ice cream chef. I’m currently working on the royal photography department to convince them they need one more guy. And I’ve got another candidate who’s putting together a comedy troupe. Once they’re together and have some performances under their belt, I’m going to try to get them a residency at a comedy club here.”

Tatsuya shook his head. “Damn,” he said. “You actually found a way to keep your whole harem. I’m impressed.”

“I’m not keeping them as a harem!” Yo-ka leaned over and gave his old friend a playful smack. “Seriously, I never really had romantic interest in any of them except Yuuki – and, yes, Subaru.”

“But you turned him over to your brother,” Tatsuya said.

“They fell in love,” Yo-ka said. “They were happy. Who the hell was I to stand in the way of that? Besides, Yuuki was the one I really wanted all along. It took having the Culling come to an end for me to realize that.”

“So how are things going with him, anyway?” Tatsuya said.

“They couldn’t be better,” Yo-ka said. “He and I are really cut from the same cloth. Both of us really should have been something other than – well, high-born people.”

“So, back to my original question – why hang on to the rest of the guys, too?”

“We all became friends,” Yo-ka said. “I enjoyed hanging out with them so, so much – I’d forgotten what it was like to meet a lot of people who weren’t born with silver spoons in their mouths.” His voice softened. “I think that’s why you and I became friends so fast in school. You were so . . . real.”

“As opposed to a mannequin?” Tatsuya said.

“You know what I mean!” Yo-ka said. “Some of these people, well . . . they might as well be mannequins. They’re fake through and through.” He looked at his watch. “I have to go – my new employee should be arriving at the palace any minute now. Once he’s settled in, I’ll send him to you.”

“Okay,” Tatsuya said. “Just say the word.”

“Oh, by the way,” Yo-ka said, “did anything ever work out with that guy? You know, the one from the Health and Human Services department?”

Tatsuya shook his head. “One date,” he said. “That was it. He never called again.”

“Too bad,” Yo-ka said.

“One and done has been the norm for me for awhile now,” Tatsuya said, shrugging. “I’m used to it.”

“Yeah, and I don’t want you giving up hope, either,” Yo-ka said. “If you do, then I will have to punch YOU!” He waved and left the office.

Tatsuya sat down at his desk, sighing. Really, he didn’t mind the “one and done” dates. He never felt much chemistry with any of the people he’d been with – hadn’t for a long time, really. He’d rather spend quiet evenings alone than force a relationship with someone where feelings weren’t quite there.

Still, he had to admit that part of him was sort of hoping he’d have more to do in the evenings someday than listen to the radio.

* * *

Ruiza hadn’t had time to breathe since that commission scroll was put in his hands.

Before he knew it, a swarm of royal staff was descending on his apartment, packing everything up and loading it onto trucks. (He and Kazuki had to scramble to keep them from packing the dog into a crate).

Then, they bundled HIM into the back of a car, with his brother and his dog, and drove them all the way to the capital – which was a 13-hour journey. (Okay, it would have been about 10 or 11 if they hadn’t had to make stops now and then to let the dog run around and do his business, but still).

“Wouldn’t it have been better just to put us on a train?” Ruiza asked the driver. “That’s how we did it during the Culling.”

“You weren’t traveling with a dog during the Culling, Your Excellency,” the driver said. “His Royal Highness decided this was the best for the comfort of all involved.”

If It were anyone but Yo-ka, Ruiza would want to give the prince in question a tongue-lashing for making a driver work that much and putting the needs of a newly-minted noble over the needs of an ordinary citizen. He figured, though, that the prince would probably give this guy a few days off and a raise.

They arrived in the capital to find that the movers had already unpacked their boxes and put things in an approximation of where they were in the old apartment. Approximation, because the new place was much, much bigger.

“Damn,” Kazuki said. “You could put our whole old place in this living room.” He walked across to the kitchen. “Holy crap, Ruiza, over here? There’s a dining room. A DINING ROOM. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anywhere but in a kitchen since I got out of school.”

“I can’t believe this is ours.” Ruiza walked toward the back of the apartment. There was a bathing room three times the size of their old one, a water closet, and two bedrooms – both with full beds, not futons.

“Beds?” Kazuki said. “BEDS? Good Lord, I feel like I need to do something to earn this – except both princes are attached romantically, aren’t they? So much for a thank-you blow job.”

“Kazuki!” Ruiza said. Quietly, he was wondering something similar, though. They’d been told by their driver that this was an apartment house reserved for royal employees, and they lived here rent-free. I feel I should be doing something more to earn this than making perfumes, he thought.

Kazuki went over to his brother and hugged him. “Did I tell you how proud I was of you?” he said. “Well, triple that. I’ve never been so proud of anyone in my life.”

I feel like I need to keep making everyone proud, Ruiza thought. I just hope that’s not too big a bill to fill.

* * *

His first visit to the palace to be officially presented to the royal family started out very awkward.

He couldn’t just walk into their audience chamber. Oh, no. He had to be escorted to the door by a guard. Then he had to wait while said guard knocked on the door and spoke to an inside guard.

“I bring His Excellency the Earl of Denis-Auvergne-Puy-de-Dome to speak to Their Majesties and Their Highnesses,” the outer guard said.

“Let him approach,” the inner guard said. Ruiza hesitantly stepped through the doorway – at which point his hand was seized by the inner guard, who led him to the center of the room. Meanwhile, Ruiza just blinked at his surroundings, at the gilded walls and the paintings of historical scenes and the row of golden thrones in front of him.

On a dais were two large thrones in the middle and a small one on either side – the king to the right, with Yo-ka next to him, the queen and Toya to the left. The king and princes were wearing the type of uniforms they had on the night of the ball at the beginning of the Culling.  
This is pretty intimidating, Ruiza thought. It’s all so . . . formal.

“Your Majesties, Your Royal Highness, Your Highness, it is an honor for me to present His Excellency the Earl of Denis-Auvergne-Puy-de-Dome,” the inner guard said.

Ruiza quickly bowed, and then realized he was still holding the guard’s hand. I hope I didn’t rip the poor man’s arm off, he thought.

“Welcome,” the king said. “My son has said your talents as a perfumier are among the highest in the nation.”

“Well, my boss always called me his best chemist,” Ruiza said. Ouch, he thought, that probably sounded lame. I have to work harder at this being formal and royal thing.

“You do know that you will be creating custom scents for each of us,” the king said, “as well as a line to be marketed to the public.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ruiza said. “I plan to do my best.”

“I will give you a list of my favorite scents,” the queen said. “I trust the rest of my family to do the same.”

“That won’t be necessary for the princes, Your Majesty,” Ruiza said.  
The king looked startled. “Oh?”

“I mean, sir, that I got to know both of them during the Culling, and, well, I know their tastes and their personalities. I think I know what to do.”

“It is standard procedure,” the king said, “for all royal employees to follow explicit guidelines from . . .”

The queen put an arm in front of him. “If the boy is known for his creativity in perfumes, let him do what he does best,” she said. “Our son hired him for a reason.”

“He hired him because he was one of the participants in . . .”

“And he got to know the talents of his Culling candidates, did he not?” the queen said. She gave the king a glare – and Ruiza picked up on that.

It almost looks, he thought, like she’s the one really in control. Like she has something she can hold over his head.

“Fine,” the king said. “Use your talents as you always have. Now, Prince Yo-ka will give you further instructions, as your department will be reporting to him.”

Yo-ka stood up, walked over to Ruiza and handed him a packet of information. “This is the specifics on your lab,” he said. “It’s in the sciences building, third floor. You will have room to hire several assistants.”

“I can?” Ruiza said, looking surprised. He’d never been responsible for hiring before.

“Yes,” Yo-ka said. “It’s your department, you’re the manager. And you need to go to the Department of the Exchequer and speak to Undersecretary Tatsuya Aoki. He will be working with you on the financial end of things.”

“I need a pen to write this down,” Ruiza said.

“It’s in the packet,” Yo-ka said. “Trust me – it’s all you need. I want you to be successful, Ruiza. Any more information you need, just ask.”

Ruiza noted the king glaring daggers at them. He figured it was because Yo-ka used the informal “Ruiza” instead of his formal title. He wondered why the heck the king expected Yo-ka to be anything other than, well, Yo-ka.

“Thank you,” he said, bowing again. “You’ve been more than kind. I have to thank you for everything – the movers, the driver, the apartment . . .”

“It’s standard,” Yo-ka said. “It’s how we treat our employees. Now, why don’t you go get settled into your lab?”

Ruiza nodded, and bowed again. “Thank you again,” he said. The inner guard escorted him to the door and turned him back over to the outer guard, and he was led down the hall . . .

At which point, a human tornado suddenly hurled itself at him, screaming “RUIZA!” The tornado glomped him, holding on for dear life, and solidified into the form of Subaru.

“Oh, my God!” Ruiza said, hugging back. “I haven’t seen you since . . .”

“You’re really here!” Subaru said. “Toya said you were coming, but I thought it was too good to be true, and I wanted to wait until I saw you with my own eyes.” He stepped back. “You really are going to be living and working with us for good?”

“Until they decide to kick me out, at least,” Ruiza said. “My brother and I are in the royal employee apartments.”

“I have to meet your brother!” Subaru said. “And your dog! You talked about a dog during the Culling, right? Leo, his name was?”

“Leon,” Ruiza said. “Yes, he’s here, too. He’s still getting used to it, but he likes having a big park behind the apartment house to run around in.”

“I’ll help you walk him!” Subaru said. “Oh, Ruiza, you wouldn’t believe what my life is like now. Well, some of it isn’t so good – the royalty lessons are a pain.”

“Royalty lessons?” Ruiza said.

“The king insisted I have tutors to teach me about royal behavior, history and protocol,” Subaru said. “Knowing what to say and how to move and what fork to use when and how to address people and how to bow . . . it’s a pain, all right! But it’s worth it. Toya and I are so happy! Happier than I’ve ever been with anyone.”

“I’m glad,” Ruiza said.

“And we can go surfing every day! There’s a private beach just for the use of royals and courtiers and their guests! And we’re setting up a business to make and market surfboards and rollboards!”

“What’s a courtier, anyway?” Ruiza said.

“A noble who lives on the palace grounds. Some of them work for the royal family. Hey, maybe you’d be considered a courtier, right? The royal apartments are kind of on the palace grounds!”

“That’s one more thing to be,” Ruiza said. “I’m having a hard enough time getting used to being an earl and the royal perfumier!”

“You’re going to be so happy here, Ruiza,” Subaru said. “I’m so glad to have one of my Culling friends here! Hey, we can go to one of Yuuki’s performances – he’ll be glad to see you, too!”

I just hope he’s right, Ruiza thought. I just hope all of us end up happy – me, my brother and my dog. Otherwise, what if all this upheaval was for nothing?

* * *

It started as an ordinary day for Tatusya. He was at his desk, quietly working on expense accounts for the prince’s personal staff.

And then, a secretary’s voice said, “Sir Tatsuya, there’s an Earl here to see you.”

“What Earl?” Tatusya said, not looking up. He hoped it wasn’t the Earl that had been the candidates’ caretaker during the Culling. The man had been in here several times, haggling over every little bit spent on the road.

“He’s from a district with a big, long name,” the secretary said.

“Just call it D,” said a voice behind the secretary. “Everyone else does.”

“The Earl of D, then,” the secretary said, stepping aside.

Tatusya looked up – and beheld the loveliest creature he’d ever seen in his life. Long, blond hair, full lips – artfully made up, too. Well, he was an Earl, and Earls would have grown up learning how to use makeup, right?

“Um . . . hi?” he said. Okay, that was real smooth. Nice way to address someone who outranked you. That would have gotten someone who wasn’t an old friend of the prince bounced. He quickly stood up, bowed and said, “May I help you, Your Excellency?”

“Please, just call me Ruiza,” he said. “Yo-ka said I should talk to you, since you’ll be in charge of finances for my department – I’m the royal perfumier.”

“Oh!” Tatsuya said. “You’re the guy from the Culling!”

“Well, yes,” Ruiza said. “I was in the Culling. I finished fourth.”

“Yo-ka . . . um, the Prince of Valluna . . .” Tatsuya rubbed the back of his head. Shit. His professional composure was right out the window around this beauty. “He told me about you.”

“You can call him Yo-ka,” Ruiza laughed. “We all did. He insisted on it.”

“He’s an old friend from school,” Tatsuya said. “Nicest guy I ever met.”

“I’ll agree with you on that one,” Ruiza said. “He was extremely sweet. So is his brother. I really had a good experience in the Culling.”

“Were you expecting to?” Tatsuya said.

“Not really,” Ruiza said. “I mean, I didn’t expect to be kept around. I’m not noble. Or, I wasn’t born noble, I’m noble now.”

“Yo-ka isn’t the type to hang around nobles all the time,” Tatsuya said. “I was actually surprised he chose Yuuki – until I met him.”

“He’s not a typical noble, either,” Ruiza said. “But I’m taking up your professional time.”

“No, no, it’s okay!” Tatusya said, quickly. “I need a break sometimes! So . . . can we go over the specifics of your new office, then?”

He was grateful to have the opportunity to look away from Ruiza and at a paper where he could take notes. The gorgeous man really was a distraction. He found himself wondering why the hell Yo-ka would ever let someone like this go.

* * *

Ruiza left the Exchequer’s office and leaned up against the wall, catching his breath.

The meeting had gone well. They’d gotten everything straightened out that they needed to. It was final – he was the head of a department. He was going to be in charge of employees. That seemed – well, as unreal as everything else.

But there was one thing he hadn’t counted on. He didn’t think his contact would be so, well, cute. He had shy and awkward mannerisms, yes – but that was rather charming. His face was flat-out adorable.

Stop that, Ruiza, he thought. He’s an old friend of Yo-ka. He’s probably got a boyfriend or girlfriend who’s a noble. And even if he doesn’t? The palace probably doesn’t look kindly on fraternizing between employees.

But still, he was finding himself very much looking forward to the next time he was going to work with him – even though he knew he probably shouldn’t.

Inside the office, Tatsuya was having similar thoughts. He’s gorgeous, he thought. He was in the Culling, so people know who he is – didn’t they do a nationwide radio interview? He’ll be snapped up by some high-ranking guy or woman before he’s been here a month.

And, he figured, it was a bad idea to be mooning over a guy whose department he was supposed to be handling financially. A very bad idea indeed.

Just go back to the books, he thought. Do your job, and don’t think of him as anything more than someone I’m helping as an accountant. Excuse me, Undersecretary of the Exchequer.

That, however, could be easier said than done.

* * *

The next few weeks, Ruiza barely had time to breathe.

He was busy setting up his perfume lab, hiring assistants – and fortunately, there were some bright young chemists working in other departments who were all too willing to transfer over – and starting to develop the formulas for each of the scents – one for each member of the royal family, and a few to be marketed commercially.

His brother began observing that Ruiza was falling asleep a lot. “You come home, you walk the dog and you pass out. Now, I don't mind making dinner, but I'd like to see my brother every once in awhile!”

“Sorry about that,” Ruiza said, sheepishly. “It's just that I've been busy. Real busy.”

“And there's nothing wrong with that,” Kazuki said. “You think I don't want you to be a success? But you also need to remember to take care of yourself. Having the best-selling scents in the world isn't going to do you any good if you're not around to see it!”

And throughout it all, he kept making regular visits to the Exchequer's office to speak to Tatsuya. He tried to keep the conversations professional. He really did. Except he'd be there a few minutes, and then Tatusya would ask how he was making out with his new lab, and Ruiza would start talking about how things were going with the new co-workers, and then he'd talk about the place where he used to work . . .

He felt very comfortable around his financial helper. And, of course, he continued to find him cute – and continued to feel a bit breathless as he left his office.

I shouldn't do this, he thought. I really shouldn't do this. I have a professional relationship with this man, and it should stay professional. But he's just so cute, and so sweet, and . . .

And acting like a swoony teenager isn't going to get you anywhere, he thought. Back to work with you. He'd rush back to his lab and bury himself in his tubes of scents, glad for the distraction.

Remember, he thought, he's your financial advisor. And he very well might have someone. Or be on his way to having someone.

But that wasn't stopping a tiny part of his mind from having hope.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tatsuya's co-workers were starting to notice the way the Undersecretary of the Exchequer acted whenever the pretty blond entered the room.

“He lights up whenever that guy comes in,” one of the secretaries whispered. “It's like a Christmas tree.”

“He talks to him forever,” another one replied. “Tatsuya never talks to anyone! He's as shy as they come.”

“Tatsuya's never been romantically interested in anybody,” one of the younger under-accountants said. “Never. It's like he's off the radar for that kind of thing.”

“He did date, you know,” the first secretary said.

“Yes,” said the accountant. “But nothing ever came of those dates!”

At that moment, Tatsuya would come into the room, and the people discussing them turned around and fled for their desks. He looked puzzled. “What were you all talking about?” he said.

“Nothing,” said the first secretary. “Just what we're wearing to the next office party.”

Tatusya sat down at his desk and looked at his file of tasks for the day. Alas, there was no scheduled appointment with the perfume chemist. He realized he was starting to look forward to those appointments just a bit too much.

Don't think about it, he told himself. He's a client, nothing more. It has to be that way. He's probably beating men off with a stick, anyway. You wouldn't stand a chance.

Part of him couldn't believe that, though – but what could he possibly say to the guy to get him interested? Fraternizing with a co-worker was frowned on – right?

* * *

As it so happened, their situation ended up attracting the attention of the right people.

Subaru would frequently have lunch with his friend in the employee dining rooms on the lab premises – although the staff of the facility always made sure they had their own private room and the best of service. Subaru being the Pledged of a prince carried privileges.

“Why do you look happy today?” Subaru said to Ruiza during one such lunch.

“What do you mean?” Ruiza said.

“You seem, I don't know – extra-alive,” Subaru said. “Almost like you're sparkling.”

“Oh,” Ruiza said, putting a hand up to his face. “Is it obvious?”

“Ruiza,” Subaru said, “what's been going on?”

“Nothing!” Ruiza said. “Well, I mean, we've been doing the usual stuff with the lab department, but that's it. I think I have a scent almost done for the queen. I've been working hard on Toya's, I think you're going to like it.”

“But I think there's something else going on,” Subaru said. “What did you do before you came here?”

“Nothing!” Ruiza said. “I mean, it wasn't nothing, I went to the Undersecretary of the Exchequer's office. We had matters to discuss regarding payroll.”

“Ruiza,” Subaru said, slowly, “is there someone in that office that you like?”

“What makes you say that?” Ruiza said, looking a tad panicked.

“Soon as you started talking about going there,” Subaru said, “you started glowing even more than ever.”

“I did?” Ruiza looked panicked again, and put his hand to his face.

“Ruiza,” Subaru said, “it's okay. Really.”

“No, it's not,” Ruiza said. “I can't date a guy I'm working with!”

“Why not?” Subaru said. “The royal family doesn't have rules about that. Not even the stuffy old king. Toya was even telling me that a lot of couples met and got married while working together here.”

“But . . . he's handling the finances for my lab,” he said. “If something goes wrong between us . . . well, you don't want a guy who's in charge of your money mad at you.”

“Why are you convinced it'll break up before it even starts?” Subaru said. “Give it a chance, Ruiza! Why don't you ask him on a date?”

Ruiza looked down. “I don't know. He probably already has someone.”

“Want me to find out?” Subaru said. “You're forgetting that as the Pledged of a prince, I have access to a lot of information.”

Ruiza sighed. “All right,” he said. “But be discreet about it, okay?”

“You can trust me,” Subaru said. “Believe me, I want you to be as happy as I am.”  
Unbeknownst to them, however, there was a similar conversation going on in another private dining room – private because one of them was a prince.

“So tell me – who is this guy you like?” Yo-ka said.

Tatsuya nearly choked on his beer. “WHAT?” he said. “What gave you that idea?”

“I have ears,” Yo-ka said. “And I heard what the secretaries were talking about when I was waiting for you to come out of that meeting.”

“They were talking about it?” Tatusya said. He tried not to look annoyed.

“They said that there's one client of yours where every time he walks into the office, you light up,” Yo-ka said. “And then after he leaves, you just about float around the office. Come on, Tatsuya – who is he?”

Damn secretaries, Tatsuya thought. “Just – just someone who comes in here from time to time. And he's probably got someone, anyway. Or if he doesn't, he's going to in the near future. He's . . . he's not the kind of guy that gets ignored.”

“So,” Yo-ka said, “because of that, you're not going to go for it?”

“If he has someone else,” Tatsuya said, “I'll be let down.”

“And if he doesn't, and he ends up with someone else?” Yo-ka said. “You'll be kicking yourself for days. Weeks. Months. Just go for it!”

Tatsuya looked down. “I know. I'm . . . I'm not quite the go for it type. You remember what happened when we were in school.”

“That was one incident,” Yo-ka said. “One. And that's not likely to ever happen again.” His voice softened. “He didn't know you, Tatsuya. Not really. And he didn't deserve you.”

Tatsuya sighed. “I'll . . . think about it, okay?”

He needs a boost, Yo-ka thought. He needs a serious boost if he's going to start dating this guy. And I think I know what it's going to be.

* * *

That evening, the two royal couples had dinner together in one of the private family dining rooms. It was a fairly common occurrence by now – unless Yuuki had an early performance and had to get to the club by six.

Once everyone was settled in, and the waiters had brought the first course, and they'd talked about their days (Subaru going on for quite awhile about a phone conversation with a factory that might build their surfboards), Yo-ka decided to make his announcement.

“I'm having a royal ball,” he said.

“Well, I'm enjoying dinner as well, but I'm not going to go that far,” Toya replied.

“No!” Yo-ka leaned over the table and gave his brother a playful smack. “I mean I'm LITERALLY having a royal ball! A party where people get dressed up and dance!”

“Why the hell would you do that?” Yuuki said. “You hate those things. You told me yourself you'd like to have an excuse to avoid them!”

“Yes, but there's a reason.” Yo-ka picked up the small glass of melon soda that was always next to his wineglass. “Trust me on this.”

“This had better be a good reason,” Toya said. “Yuuki's right – this is flat-out not you. The Yo-ka I know thinks of royal balls as being about as appealing as stubbing your toe.”

“It has to do with a friend,” Yo-ka said. “I've got a friend who likes someone. A lot. And he's got cold feet and jitters about asking him out. So . . . I decided to give him a reason to ask the person out. And what better reason than a royal ball?”

“Can't he just ask him to the movies?” Toya said.

“If it were that easy, I wouldn't be doing this, would I?” Yo-ka said.

Subaru said, quietly, “You know . . . it sounds like what's been going on with me lately. I have, well . . .” He looked around at the others. “Ruiza has told me he likes someone. Somebody he's been working with. And he's got cold feet about telling him, too.”

“Oh, yeah?” Toya said. “Who is it? One of the guys who works in his lab? Bet its that cute guy with the big pink streak in his hair.”

“No, no, not in the lab,” Subaru said. “He said it was a guy in another department, one that he has to go to . . . oh, yes, the Undersecretary of the Exchequer's office! It was someone in there.”

Yo-ka looked startled. “Really?” he said.

“Oh, yes,” said Subaru. “He said the Undersecretary of the Exchequer.”

“Oh, my God,” Yo-ka said, rubbing the back of his neck. “This may be even better than I thought!”

“What do you mean?” Subaru said.

“The friend I was talking about,” Yo-ka said, “is Tatsuya. He's the Undersecretary of the Exchequer.”

“Whoa,” Toya said. “We might have an opportunity to play matchmaker, big-time!”

“No,” Yo-ka said. “I don't like that, either. I don't like people feeling forced into a relationship.Remember, I wasn't crazy about the idea of the Culling.”

“Well, that worked out okay for both of us, didn't it?” Toya said.

“Yes, but I don't want Tatsuya feeling pressured to ask this guy out! I just want to provide a nice atmosphere – romantic, special – for them to meet up in. Add to that some drinks to loosen things up, and hopefully, things will happen naturally.” Yo-ka looked around at the others. “Look – how many old stories are there about people meeting and falling in love at royal balls?”

“Those stories also include dragons and witches and fairy godmothers,” Yuuki said. “Last time I looked out the window, I didn't see any of those.”

“Come on!” Yo-ka said. “You've got to agree it's worth a shot, right?”

“It's worth a shot,” Subaru said. “I believe that.” He smiled. “I'm willing to try anything if it means Ruiza ends up happy!”

“All right,” Yuuki sighed. “I imagine you want me to sing for this thing.”

“Well, love, if you don't want to . . .”

“Of course I want to!” Yuuki said. “I may still think this is an odd idea for you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to turn down an opportunity to perform in front of an audience!”

“It's settled,” Yo-ka said, as the waiters arrived to collect their dishes from the appetizer course and started bringing out the soup. “I'm having invitations printed tomorrow. And then, we'll see what happens from there.”

“Yes!” Subaru said. “I want it to work out, I really do!”

They began on their next course. After a moment, Toya said, “You know, one of these nights I'd really like to ditch the fancy stuff and just go out for pizza . . .”

* * *

Two days later, the invitations went out to all palace staff, courtiers, friends of the two princes, and, in Yo-ka's words, “People I have to invite or else Father will never let us use the ballroom again.”

“You hate royal balls, remember?” his Pledged reminded him. “You're just doing this for Tatsuya.”

“Yes,” Yo-ka said. “But what if I need the ballroom for, say, a command performance by a certain singer? I'd have to have it then, right?”

And so, the royal mailroom distributed the small envelopes into all the employee mailboxes. Ruiza pulled his out and read it. “A royal ball?” he said. “Really? I haven't done anything like that since the first day of the Culling . . .”

He tucked the invitation in his coat pocket and started going through his other mail. Well, here was a bill for some essential oils they'd had delivered last week . . . and then, he realized that he was smiling.

A bill, of course, was a reason for him to visit Tatsuya's office. He never thought he'd ever be happy to see one in his life.

He called to his assistants, “Be back in a few!” and headed out. By the time he arrived at Tatsuya's office, he was humming to himself.

“Hello!” he said, as he entered. “I have an invitation! Um, I mean, a bill!” He handed the bill over.

“Hi,” Tatsuya said. “Invitation? You got one, too?”

“I think everyone did,” Ruiza said. “I never thought I'd be going to a royal ball so soon!”

“I don't think too much of them, usually,” Tatsuya said. “I only go to them because of Yo-ka.”

“You're going to this one, aren't you?” Ruiza said.

“Oh, yes,” Tatsuya said, and then added, quickly, “I mean . . . I always do. For my friend.”

“I figured,” Ruiza said, just as quickly. “I need to think about what to wear. One good thing about having been made a noble? It's acceptable everywhere for noble men to wear dresses. All kinds of younger men wear dresses in D, and they do in Kiryu, too – but it seems it's frowned on for middle-class men in other districts.”

“Well, that isn't fair,” Tatsuya said – wondering what Ruiza would look like in a fancy dress. Which was leading to another thought of said dress on Tatsuya's bedroom floor. And that was a line of thought he had to stop right now.

“Tell me about it,” Ruiza said. “Anyone should be allowed to wear whatever they want to wear, regardless of age or class or gender. The only thing is, I don't think I have any dresses fancy enough for a royal ball, and I don't know where I can get one around here that someone on my salary can afford.”

“I can show you where to get it!” Tatsuya said, and then suddenly realized that sounded an awful lot like a date invitation. Oh, crap, would he take that as hitting on him?

“You can?” Ruiza said. “That would be wonderful!”

“It would?” Tatsuya said. “Oh, yeah, it would!”

“Maybe we could go this weekend?” The ball was, after all, two weeks away. Getting the dress this weekend meant he'd have it in plenty of time.

“Sure!” Tatsuya said. “Maybe we could meet up in the park in front of the employee residence? Um, you do live there, right?”

“Yes,” Ruiza said. “You live there, too?”

“Third floor,” Tatsuya said.

“We're on the eighth. My brother and I. Oh, and our dog.” He figured it was important to get that last part in – because he didn't want Tatsuya thinking there was a significant other.

“We're practically neighbors, then,” Tatsuya said. “Okay, Ruiza. We'll meet up Saturday and go shopping. And there's a nice coffee house next to the store, too.” Great, he was just turning this into even more of a date. He just hoped he wasn't scaring the guy off.

“Wonderful,” Ruiza said. “All right – I'll see you then. If I don't have to come back here before then, that is!” He waved goodbye, and rushed out into the hall.

A date, he thought. Oh, my God, we're going on a date. No, don't call it that. It's just a shopping trip, remember?

But he was feeling like a teenager right now – and that definitely made it seem like a date.

* * *

Ruiza was just about waving the invitation when we came home. “Look!” he said to his brother, who was putting groceries away in the kitchen. “The prince is having a ball, and I'm invited!”

“Really?” Kazuki said. “Did your fairy godmother show up?”

“It's a REAL royal ball, not an old story!” Ruiza said, just as his dog, Leon, bounded up to him. He rubbed the dog's head. “Hi, there,” he said. “I'd take you to the ball, but they don't allow dogs!”

Kazuki walked into the living room and took the invitation from Ruiza's hand. “Wow, this really is the real deal,” he said. “What are you wearing?”

“Well, that's the thing,” Ruiza said. “I need to get something – and I've got someone taking me shopping on Saturday!”

“This person must be one hell of a someone,” Kazuki said. “Your whole face just lit up.”

“Oh, no, he's just someone I work with,” Ruiza said. “Not directly – but he does the finances for our department.”

“He works over your figures, huh?” Kazuki said, plunking down on the couch, invitation in hand.

“It's not like that!” Ruiza said. “He's a friend, okay?”

“And that's how they all start out,” Kazuki said. “I'm happy for you, Ruiza. I really am – getting invited to a ball is a big, big deal.”

“Tatsuya said that he's been to a lot of them,” Ruiza said. “That's what happens when you've been working for the royal family for awhile.”

“Oh, so his name is Tatsuya?” Kazuki said. “Well, that's a nice name!”

“Um, well, yes, it is,” Ruiza said. “But he's a friend! Really!”

“Okay,” Kazuki said. “I'll believe it. And I'm going to want to hear every detail about this ball, you know. Including Tatsuya.” He stretched out on the couch, hands behind his head.

“You'll get them!” Ruiza said. “Okay, I'm going to walk the dog now!” He went to the hook on the wall where the leash was hanging.

It really was, in a way, like an old story. He found himself looking forward to the ball with nervous anticipation. But in a way, he found himself looking forward to the shopping trip just as much.

* * *

As promised, they met up right at the entrance to the park. “Oh, you're in casual clothes!” Ruiza said as he greeted the other man. “I almost didn't recognize you without the suit and tie!”

“Believe it or not, I don't wear them 24/7,” Tatsuya said. “And I definitely don't sleep in them!”

“I should hope not,” Ruiza said. “The tie would be hard to sleep in. It would make it easy to choke!”

They started heading out toward the town. “So what are royal balls like, anyway?” Ruiza said.

“A bunch of wealthy people with titles trying to impress each other, mostly,” Tatsuya said. “There's music, of course, and dancing, and really good food, and a lot of liquor. Most of the rich people aren't the kind of drunks who make fools of themselves, though. They're the kind of drunks who pretend they're sober, but they're really ready to fall over.”

Ruiza laughed. “That's got to be amusing.”

“It is, in a way,” Tatsuya said. “I usually don't stay until they get really drunk, though. I slip out early.”

“Not a dancer?” Ruiza said.

“We'll just say it's not one of my specialties,” Tatsuya said. “I mean, I'd do it if the right person invited me to dance, but I don't do anything fancy. Just kind of moving around.”

“You don't have to do anything fancy, really,” Ruiza said. They had arrived in front of a large department store. “Is this it?” he said.

“Yes,” Tatsuya said. “This is where all the royal employees shop, really. It's clothes that look fancy . . . but don't cost what the royals and old-money nobles would pay. Third floor is dresses, and the department is considered unisex.”

“Great!” Ruiza said. “You're not used to looking for dresses, are you?”

“Well, no, unless I'm with my sister,” Tatsuya said. “I've never had the urge to wear them myself, and I've never dated women.”

“I dated a girl in high school,” Ruiza said. “But anyone I've dated since then has been male.”

They entered the store through a gleaming array of cosmetics counters, sporting rainbows of lipsticks and rouges and nail polishes. Maybe I need to get makeup, too, Ruiza thought. I'm not going to have stylists helping me out like I did during the Culling.

“Why did you enter the Culling, by the way?” Tatsuya said, as they made their way to the elevators.

“It just seemed like something fun to do,” Ruiza said. “I never had any illusions that I'd be picked. None of us did, really. That's why we were all able to relax and have fun with it – because we knew it was temporary.”

The elevator pinged at the third floor. “I just went down for the interview, and the next thing I knew it, I was informed that I'd been picked to represent my district,” he said. “I went to the palace, made the first cut, and then just kept making the cut until almost the end. I finished fourth – but he still let me and the guy who finished fifth stick around the Royal Retreat until the end.”

“You went on dates with the prince?” Tatsuya said as they made their way to the dresses.

“Well, yes,” Ruiza said. “I thought of it more as hanging out than anything else. He's a sweet guy. So's his brother. I was shocked as hell when Yo-ka made me an Earl at the end of it. I didn't think anyone got anything out of it but the second and third place finishers.”

He pulled a dress off the rack, held it in front of it and examined it. Tatsuya was right. It was beautifully made and elegant – the sort of thing guys in his social class usually didn't own. “Didn't Yo-ka tell you about us?” he said to Tatsuya.

“He's restricted from talking about his Culling,” Tatsuya said. “He thinks it's bullshit, of course, but he abides by the rules. He did tell me that all the guys were fun to hang out with and that I'd be meeting them all eventually.”

“Do I live up to my billing?” Ruiza pulled another dress off the rack. This was going to be a very hard choice – they all looked fantastic.

“Live up to it, and then some,” Tatsuya said. I just can't see why he didn't choose him, he thought. Okay, Yuuki is a really nice guy, but if I'd been in Yo-ka's shoes? I would have chosen Ruiza in a heartbeat.

Ruiza pulled two dresses off the rack at once and held them at arm's length. “The best part of the Culling, for me, was meeting people,” he said. “Making friends. I got to know so many great people . . .” He held one dress in front of him, then the other. “Which one do you like better?”

“The right one,” Tatsuya said, pointing to a black dress with elegant ruffles on the cuffs and running down the front. “With the fuller skirt.”

“I'll try it on, then!” Ruiza said. “You have good taste, that's the one I was looking at, too.”

As it turned out, the dress Tatusya picked out was the one Ruiza ended up getting, followed by stops in accessories for a matching small hat and stockings, and the shoe department, where Ruiza tried on about ten pairs before he found the perfect one.

“I'm sure you've had enough of watching me shop by now,” he said to Tatsuya.

“No,” he said. “Not at all.” And, believe it or not, he meant it. In fact, he was mesmerized by the sight of Ruiza's excitement as he examined each item, as if they were the only clothes he'd ever seen in his life.

“Since you put up with all this, I'll pay for lunch,” Ruiza said, picking up his bags.

“You don't have to!” Tatsuya said.

“I want to,” Ruiza said. “It's the least I can do!”

They settled into the coffee shop and ordered – Tatsuya got a beef stew, Ruiza got curry. When the waiter departed, Ruiza said, “Well, I told you how I met Yo-ka – now, tell me about that school where you met him.”

“Like I said, I was a scholarship student,” Tatsuya said. “I felt kind of out of place there when I first arrived, because I was, well, one of the few guys there who wasn't a nobleman's son. But that's why Yo-ka and Toya were drawn to me. They thought I was the coolest thing ever. Yo-ka, especially. He kept asking me what it was like to grow up in a middle-class district like I'd grown up on an alien planet.”

“Where did you grow up, anyway?” Ruiza said.

“Ronove,” Tatsuya said. “It's a really small town near Pentagon, so we're legally considered part of the Pentagon district . . . even if we're outside it.”

“I remember Pentagon,” Ruiza said. “They had a really nice plaza in the middle of it and some cute-looking streets.”

“That's where you went if you wanted to do anything when you lived in Ronove,” he said. “Anyway, I felt out-of-place at first, but after I got to know Yo-ka, he started introducing me to other friends of his – Kei and Shoya I especially got along with. But then I met . . .” He looked down into his drink.

“Someone who you didn't get along with?” Ruiza said.

“No. That's the thing. I got along with him just fine. In fact, he and I started dating. I fell madly in love. Head over heels. He was the first guy I ever went to bed with. But . . .” He poked at the drink with his straw. “I told him, after we had been together a couple of months, where I was from. And it put him off. He was upper-class . . . and he only dated other upper-class people. Suddenly, I wasn't good enough for him. And, well . . . it broke my heart.”

Ruiza watched Tatsuya's face as he told the story, the way a total sadness stole over it, slowly. If I had that guy in front of me, he thought, I'd slap him silly. “Who would think you weren't good enough just because you were from a small town? I mean, you were the same person he met when he thought you were a noble!”

“You know that and I know it,” Tatsuya said. “Or, rather, I know that now. Back then? I was crushed. Absolutely devastated. I didn't go to class for about three days afterward. I was in danger of losing my scholarship. Yo-ka and Kei and Shoya brought me back from the brink. If it wasn't for them . . .” He looked at Ruiza.

“I know,” Ruiza said. “You were lucky to have them.”

“So, yeah, I went back to school and threw myself into everything full-force to get over him. And, eventually, I did. Well, as much as you can fully get over something like that. Part of me still smarts over that.” He gave Ruiza a small smile. “I don't know why I'm talking about this. It was really the only bad thing that happened when I was in school.”

“That was a very big bad thing!” Ruiza said.

“Well, anyway, after high school, Yo-ka and I moved on to the same college together, even though we were in different departments – he was in political science, of course, and I was in mathematics. He told me he'd find me a job after we graduated, and he did. First as a lower accountant in the Exchequer's office, then as Undersecretary.”

“And are you happy?” Ruiza said.

“Are you?” Tatsuya said.

“I asked you first!” Ruiza said.

“Things definitely could be worse,” Tatsuya said. “I have a stable job, a good home and good friends. Happy? Well . . . I'm not unhappy.”

“As for me?” Ruiza said. “I'm happy. I love my job and my home and having my brother with me, and being able to see Subaru again. But there's always room for more happiness. Don't you think so?”

You could make me the happiest man in the world, Ruiza, Tatsuya thought. But he didn't want to say it. After his bruising experience as a teenager, the last thing in the world he wanted to do was risk a fresh rejection.

He knew he was falling for the gorgeous Earl. No, not falling. Already fallen, like lead dropped from the highest turret of the palace. All he could think of was how he would look in that beautiful dress.

Ruiza, meanwhile, was having similar thoughts.

There's something so soft about him, in a way, he thought. So soft and gentle. No wonder he got his heart broken so easily – what a shame that someone like him crossed paths with such a jerk!

He wanted to ask him on another date – wait, was this one? Well, it felt like one now! – but he was afraid of being turned down. What if he's completely gun-shy about love now? Ruiza thought. What if he doesn't want to take a chance again?

At that moment, the waiter brought their food, and they were both snapped out of their reveries.

“Looks good!” Ruiza said.

“Looks great!” Tatusya said. “Well, thank you for the meal!” He pressed his hands together in front of him and bowed.

They started on their lunches, and talked about other restaurants they had gone to, both in the capital and in Pentagon, and what they thought other people would be wearing to the ball, and whether Yuuki was going to perform. And both quietly hid their growing feelings for each other.

* * *

For the next two weeks, the two of them found as many reasons as they could to bump into one another.

They had the usual meetups in Tatsuya's office, of course – Ruiza ran off to him with every bill that came in, any question about an expense report. During one of those meetups, Tatsuya asked him where he usually had lunch.

“In the employee cafeteria,” Ruiza said. “Around noon.”

“I'm usually down there around 1, unless I meet up with Yo-ka,” Tatsuya said. “Do . . . do you want to compromise and have lunch at 12:30 tomorrow?”

“That would be great!” Ruiza said. “Meet you at the entrance to the cafeteria?”

“Definitely!” Tatsuya said.

The next day, they met up, got their usual lunches and found a corner table to themselves. They talked about family and Ruiza's dog and what the other Culling guys were like and the projects Ruiza was working on.

“The scents for the two princes were easy,” he said. “Yo-ka is bold and unconventional. So I tried to find something that would capture that. Toya has the fascination with the ocean, so I wanted to include some scents that would suggest that . . . and also, his cheerful personality. The king and queen, well . . . they're a bit harder.”

“From the way that Yo-ka talks about his dad, an appropriate scent for him would be Eau de Stick in the Mud,” Tatsuya said.

“Well, I'm going for something that suggests . . . tradition,” Ruiza said. “A very old-school kind of masculine elegance. The queen provided me with a list of scents she likes, so I'm working from that. The trick is getting them to work together. My first attempt smelled like a bottle of old perfume you'd find at the back of your grandmother's bureau that she bought when your mom was about three years old.”

“Yuk,” Tatsuya said. He had a grandmother with perfume bottles like that. He knew precisely what Ruiza was talking about.

“So, yes, it's definitely a test of my skills,” Ruiza said. “My assistants have been a huge help in that. It makes all the difference when you have a workable crew. Not that I didn't at my old job, but . . . it feels strange, in a way, to have picked my own assistants. It took awhile to get used to that.”

“Oh?” Tatsuya said. “You've never been a boss before?”

“No. Something else I had to get used to, on top of being an Earl. But I'm so glad that it happened now.”

“I'll bet you make a good boss,” Tatsuya said.

“I try to,” said Ruiza. “It comes much easier to me than I thought.”

“A lot of things come easier to us than we think, sometimes,” Tatsuya said.

“Oh?” Ruiza said. “Like what?”

Like sitting here talking easily with you, Tatsuya thought. Like having feelings come to life that haven't been there in years.

“Like dealing with nobility,” he said. “The born nobility. You just have to learn when it's proper to bow and when it's proper to start a conversation with them – as opposed to them starting a conversation with you – and what term to address each rank as. If you call a Marquis 'My Lord' he'll freak out.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Because 'My Lord' is reserved for Barons, Viceroys and members of the Upper Gentry” - people who fell in the cracks between nobility proper and the gentry, usually relatives of the royal family. “As you probably know from Subaru, a Duke is called Your Grace. A Marquis is Your Eminence. An Earl, as you know personally, is Your Excellency. And a Viscount is Your Honorable Lordship or Ladyship. Give the wrong salutation to the wrong person and hear about it for the rest of your life.”

“I wouldn't do that,” Ruiza said. “I just want to be called Ruiza, that's it. Earl is just a title that lets me wear dresses to parties.”

Tatsuya laughed. “I can see why you made it so far in the Culling, Ruiza.”

“Because I like to wear dresses to parties?”

“Because you're always YOU. No matter what. You're unspoiled and natural, no matter what situation they put you in and what titles they throw at you. A lot of people wouldn't be like that. A lot of people . . .” His expression darkened. “Think they're above everyone else just because of a few words in front of their name.”

“Your ex didn't deserve you, you know,” Ruiza said, quietly. “You're a million miles better than him.”

Tatsuya put his hand on Ruiza's. “Thank you,” he said.

They sat there quietly for a moment, just smiling at each other . . .

Then Ruiza said, quickly, “I need to finish up – I have to be back in the lab in a few minutes!”

“Me, too,” Tatsuya said. “Um, I mean, be back in the Exchequer's office.”

Both of them were smiling much more broadly than usual after a lunch when they returned to their respective workplaces.

* * *

They met several more times for lunch before the day of the ball arrived, and each time, they had cheerful conversation, and found themselves looking into each other's eyes or touching hands a bit longer than they had to, after which they quickly pulled back.

Ruiza's brother definitely noticed the way his brother looked when he came home from work in the evenings. “Work must really be agreeing with you,” he said, dryly.  
\  
“It's going great,” he said. “Worked some more on the queen's fragrance today, I think I've got the king's down . . . and I've started working on a side project.”

“Really?” Kazuki said. “What kind of side project?”

“Oh, something that'll be revealed at the same time as the others,” he said. “Also, I had lunch with Tatsuya again today.”

“So THAT's why the smile.”

“He's just a really nice guy, okay!” Ruiza said.

“Okay,” Kazuki said. “So, tell me . . . does he live in the employee residence?”

“Yes. Third floor.”

“You've been there?”

“No!” Ruiza quickly turned toward his brother. “I mean, not . . . yet. He just told me about it.”

“Well, then, I'll know where to look for you when you don't come home some night,” Kazuki said, dryly.

“Kazuki!”

But privately, Ruiza felt a small thrill at the idea of not coming home some night. He was quietly hoping that it would happen.

And meanwhile, he kept working at his secret side project. It was vital that it be finished by the night of the ball.

* * *

When the big day arrived, Subaru told Ruiza, “Come to my and Toya's place a couple of hours before the ball. I arranged for my stylist to do your look.”

“Really?” Ruiza said.

“Oh, yes. Bring what you're going to wear, he'll do your makeup and hair and maybe even accessorize your outfit.”

“I haven't worked with a stylist since the Culling. I've just done my own makeup,” Ruiza said. “This is going to be fun.”

Sure enough, he arrived with his dress and shoes and hat. The stylist looked at the outfit and practically applauded. “Marvelous! You have a good sense of what works for you. We'll just add to that . . .”

He sat Ruiza down and started attending to him with combs and sprays and rather alarming hot irons, which he used to curl his hair. After that, he started on his makeup, then asked him to put the outfit on.

“Hmm,” he said, looking at the dress. “We'll put the little hat . . . here.” He positioned it and pinned it down. “And we'll add black gloves . . .”

“I don't have any,” Ruiza said.

“Fortunately, I do,” the stylist said. “Black and white gloves are a part of every stylist's bag of tricks. Now, look in the mirror . . .”

Ruiza did. The sight that greeted him stunned him flat. There he was, in the black dress and hat, his hair curled in soft ringlets around his face, his makeup flat-out perfect.

Oh, my God, he thought. What is Tatsuya going to think when he sees this?

Subaru came into the dressing room, where Ruiza was looking in the mirror. “Wow!” he said. “You're GORGEOUS!”

“You think so?” Ruiza said. “I don't think I've looked like this since the Culling!”

“You've never looked better,” Subaru said. “Come on – it's just about time to go downstairs. Toya's almost ready. We'll go in after you.”

“Why after?”

“The Royal Family always comes in last, and a Prince's Pledged enters the ballroom with him. So they'll just have the gentry come into the ballroom by themselves, then the nobility will enter and be introduced, then the Royal Family will be introduced. Myself and Toya, then Yo-ka and Yuuki, finally the King and Queen.”

“I'm being introduced?” Ruiza said.

“It's just a few seconds,” Subaru said. “You'll walk in, they'll say your title and then you'll enter the ballroom. And there's no assigned seating, you can sit with whoever you want.”

Whoever you want, he thought, meaning Tatsuya. “All right,” he said. “Just have to get used to an elaborate introduction every time I enter a room where Yo-ka's parents are, right?” He picked up the bag that matched the dress – a small pouch of black silk. A heavy object in the bottom created a little, but very visible bulge.

“What's that?” Subaru said.

Ruiza smiled to himself. “Something important,” he said.

* * *

When Ruiza got to the ballroom, the last thing in the world he expected was to find himself in a lineup like a high school graduation.

But as soon as he arrived, he was hustled to a hallway. “What rank are you, sir?” a guard said, checking the badge of office pinned to his dress. “Ah, an Earl. Right this way, Your Excellency.”

“What is this about?” Ruiza said.

“Ah, this must be your first time at a royal ball,” the guard said. “We line everyone up to enter the ballroom according to rank, lowest to highest, with the royal family coming in last. Then everyone is lined up within their ranks in alphabetical order, so we know what order to introduce you in.”

“Well . . . okay,” Ruiza said.

And before he knew it, he was standing in a line between the Earl of Cassis and the Earl of Dir en Grey. They shuffled forward slowly, bit by bit, as the people in front of them were introduced – Barons, then Viscounts, then Earls, with Marquis and Dukes finishing the line.

“You're next,” the guard said. “Just walk to the officer at the center of the staircase, let him take your hand and introduce you, then walk down to the stairs to the main ballroom. Nobility remains standing at the sides of the room until the entrance of the Royal Family.”

“Thank you,” Ruiza said. He walked out . . . into a white-hot spotlight. It occurred to him that the whole room was looking at him at once.

This would NOT be a good time to trip over his own feet.

He reached the uniformed officer, who took his hand, held it up, and announced, “His Excellency, the Earl of Denis-Auvergne-Puy-de-Dome.” Ruiza gave a small bow and headed down the stairs . . . yes, he had to walk down a grand staircase to get to the ballroom. It would figure that the hallway where they had the nobility was on the second floor.

Except he got a surprise when he finally reached the bottom. Tatsuya was there, eyes shining. “Ruiza!” he whispered.

“Tatsuya! Are . . . are you allowed to be here?”

“Nobody said otherwise.” He looked the other man up and down. “You're beautiful. REALLY beautiful.”

“Subaru's stylist helped me,” Ruiza whispered. “Come on, I'm supposed to be on the side of the room . . .”

The two of them rushed over to a spot between the tables and the dance floor. “You look really nice, too,” Ruiza whispered.

“Thanks,” Tatsuya said. “I tried.” Indeed, he looked lovely – he had a grey silk suit with a white shirt and a violet tie – granted, he wore a suit and tie to work every day, but there was a definite extra dose of sophistication to what he was wearing tonight.

Ruiza applauded as each of the marquis and dukes entered the room – but he kept stealing glances over at his companion. Tatusya really was deeply attractive – in a quiet, shy, unassuming kind of way.

He's my date tonight, isn't he? Ruiza thought. Yes, he is. No two ways about it. And I'm thrilled.

Finally, the officer announced, “And now, our royal family will enter the room.” He paused. “His Highness the Prince of Charlotte and his Pledged, His Grace the Duke of Royz.”

Ruiza watched as Subaru and Toya walked out on the top of the stairs – the prince in his military uniform, Subaru in a black suit with the red and blue collar around his neck. His friend caught Ruiza's eye for a second, but Ruiza knew it was against protocol for Subaru to wave.

When the two had gone down the stairs, the announcer said, “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Valluna and his Pledged, His Highest Grace the Grand Archduke of Lycaon.” Ruiza noticed that Yuuki was rolling his eyes, as usual, at the overblown title – and he had never looked more stunning, wearing a black dress with a slit up the side, long black gloves, and a matching black wide-brimmed hat.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the officer said, “will you all please rise for the entrance of Their Royal Highnesses, our King and Queen.”

The room rose to its feet, applauding, and Yo-ka and Toya's parents came out to the top of the stairs. “May you all enjoy yourselves tonight,” the king told the crowd, before descending the stairs with his wife.

Ruiza noticed, however, that the king glanced over at the bandstand, where Yuuki's backing band was setting up, and mumbled something about “freaks with top hats and people named Zero.”

“I guess we can find a seat now,” Ruiza said.

“We have one already,” Tatsuya said.

Ruiza looked surprised. “We do?”

“When I came in, the guard escorted me to a table for two over there.” Tatsuya nodded his head. “There's even a card on it that says, 'Reserved for The Earl of . . .”

“You don't have to pronounce that big, long thing,” Ruiza said.

“ . . . and the Undersecretary of the Exchequer. I don't know how we got it – tables for two are supposed to be for the most honored guests.”

“I know,” Ruiza said with a smile. “Subaru. He must have set it up.” He definitely had to thank his friend later.

They settled in at their table, Ruiza putting the little bag beside him. He wasn't ready to unveil its contents . . . yet.

“Bet you never went to any parties like this back home,” Tatuya said.

“Well, the office year-end party came the closest,” Ruiza said. “But it was nothing like this.”

“There were no parties like this during the Culling?”

“We went causal through almost the whole thing,” Ruiza said. “That was the best part about it. One night in Ekkisu, we even cooked over a bonfire on the beach.”

“You have to tell me about it,” Tatsuya said. “I've never been to Ekkisu.”

“Oh, it was gorgeous. Okay, all the places we went were gorgeous, but that town seemed, well, lived-in and homey, even though it was big and grandiose.”

As Ruiza continued to tell Tatsuya about the Royal Retreat – pointedly avoiding spelling out the former use of the Pavilion of the Heart – there were eyes very much on them from the royal family's table.

“They definitely look happy,” Subaru whispered.

“They're cute together,” Toya repled. “Really, really cute.”

“Turns out this was a good idea,” Yo-ka replied. “Worth putting up with this, anyway.” 

“You seriously don't like royal balls, do you?” Yuuki said.

“I wouldn't do this for just anyone,” Yo-ka replied.

On the opposite end of the room from the stand where Yuuki's band was, there was a smaller bandstand where a four-piece combo provided dinner music.The waiters began bringing out one sumptuous course after another – canapes and soups and salads and pate and sorbets and filet mignon with vegetables and potatoes.

By the time the dessert – a creamy chocolate mousse cake with strawberries – came out, Ruiza said, “I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life!”

“We're going to have to dance this off,” Tatusya said. “Or semi-dance, at least.”

“I'm just going to need to move, period!” Ruiza said. “Good thing I broke in my new shoes.”

“How did you do that?” Tatsuya said.

“Oh, I wore them to walk the dog.”

“You did?” Tatuya laughed.

“I got compliments, too,” Ruiza said. “One guy said he thought I was the bravest guy he'd ever met, wearing shoes like that to take a dog out.”

“What did the dog think?” Tatsuya said.

“He just kind of sniffed them,” Ruiza said.

Tatsuya laughed. “The guy was right. You were brave.”

“I thought of it just as something that needed to be done,” Ruiza said. “Sometimes you need to take out the garbage, sometimes you need to do the laundry . . . and sometimes, you need to go out and walk the dog wearing fancy shoes.”

The waiters cleaned the final dishes away, and Yo-ka got up on the stage where Yuuki's band was now completely set up and ready to go. “And now,” he said, “for your dancing pleasure, may I introduce a very special vocalist . . . Yuuki.” When his father loudly cleared his throat from the royal table, Yo-ka added, “Grand Archduke of Lycaon.”

As Yuuki walked toward the stage, Ruiza could have sworn he saw him mumbling something like, “Even singing at a ball, I have to be introduced that way . . .”

As the band began to play, Tatsuya leaned over toward Ruiza. “Well . . . here goes nothing, right? If we're going to do this . . .”

Ruiza stood up and held his hand out toward his date. “Let's dance,” he said.

The two of them made their way to the dance floor, Ruiza putting his hand on Tatsuya's waist, holding the other one out to grasp the other man's hand. They began to move, a few tentative steps to the right, then the left . . .

The two of them turned around, slowly, moving in slow circles around the dance floor, and the crowd started to melt away. All they could see was each other, all they could feel was their closeness and the fact that they were moving as one.

In reality, they might have been sort of half-dancing, but to them, it felt like they were floating on air. It was one of those moments in life that you wanted to just capture and relive again and again.

By the time Yuuki and his band took a break, they were both breathless. They made their way back to the table.

“I can't believe it,” Tatusya said. “I can't believe I actually enjoyed dancing that much!”

“Same here,” Ruiza said. He sat down at the table. “It's because I had the best partner.”

“No, I had the best partner,” Tatsuya said. “Wow – we actually navigated that crowd without running into anyone or anything, didn't we? It's kind of a miracle.”

“A huge miracle!” Ruiza said. “Considering how many people are here?” He leaned over and put his hand on Tatsuya's. “I meant it about having the best partner, you know.”

“So did I,” Tatsuya said. “I would't have danced like that with anyone else.”

“I have something for you,” Ruiza said. He opened the black bag, reached inside and pulled out a small cut-glass bottle with an ornate, diamond-shaped stopper. He quietly thanked all that was holy that the stopper had held.

“What is it?” Tatsuya said. “A sample of what you're working on?”

“More than that,” Ruiza said. “In addition to the scents I'm doing for the royal family, they wanted me to create a few more to be marketed to the middle-class public under the Royal Scents name. So I worked on a few original fragrances, and, well . . .” He handed over the bottle. “This one was inspired by you.”

Tatsuya looked shocked. “By me?”

“I wanted to create something that had the essence of you. Gentle and sweet, but still male. Open and unpretentious, but with underlying class. Go on – smell it.”

Tatusya opened the bottle, slowly, and brought it to his nose. An assortment of wonderful scents suddenly assaulted him – spices and musks, a hint of floral, a definite sense of wood and smoke.

It was most definitely the kind of thing he'd wear.

“i can't believe you did this,” he said. “I can't believe you actually created a scent for me . . . inspired by me . . .”

“I wanted to,” Ruiza said. “It was fun coming up with the kind of essences that would fit you and making just the right blend out of them. But most of all? I couldn't wait to see your face when you smelled it.”

“I'm never going to wear any other scent for the rest of my life,” Tatsuya said. “Ruiza, this is incredible. It means so much . . . it's just so damn personal. I just don't know what I could possibly give you in return.”

“You don't have to,” Ruiza said. “Just give me more lunches and more shopping excursions. More time with us together.”

“I'll give you all the time you want,” Tatsuya said, running around the table to hug the other man. “I'll give you all the time in the world!”

On the royal family's side of the room, Subaru had a big smile. “Look over there,” he said. “I think this ball is a huge success.”

“Good,” Yo-ka said. “I don't have to have another one.”

“Why not?” said Yuuki, who had returned to the table between sets. “I'm starting to like singing for a crowd like this. I could do it again, easily!”

And back at Ruiza's table, they didn't notice the attention they were getting from the royals at all. They were too wrapped up in each other.

* * *

When they left the ball, Ruiza looped his arm through Tatsuya's as they approached the royal employees' residence.

“That was such an amazing evening,” Ruiza said.

“Amazing isn't the word,” Tatsuya said. “I actually ENJOYED a royal ball!”

“I'm just sorry it has to end.” Ruiza squeezed Tatsuya's arm.

“It doesn't have to, you know,” Tatsuya said – and then, immediately thought, oh, God, that was a mistake, what if it was too forward? I've just blatantly hit on him, plain and simple.

But Ruiza smiled at him. “Do you mean stopping at your place?” he said.

“Yes.” Might as well come out with the full truth, right?

“I was hoping you'd say that,” Ruiza said.

“Really?” said Tatsuya. He was feeling everything flutter – heart, breath, even his eyes.

“One hundred percent yes,” Ruiza replied.

They walked into the lobby and rode the elevator together to the third floor, Tatsuya pulling out his key. “It isn't much,” he said.

“I'm sure it's fine,” Ruiza said.

They walked into the apartment, Tatsuya turning on the light. Ruiza glanced around. Tatsuya was right that there was nothing overly florid or decorative – well, save for a print hanging on the wall of a sunset over a snow-capped mountain range, the blinding whiteness dappled with pinks and golds and violets. The furniture was utilitarian – a couch, two chairs, a table, a record player and record cabinet, a radio.

But Ruiza was perceiving all of it as beautiful.

“I could show you the rest,” Tatsuya said, knowing damn well there was only one room either of them were interested in at this point. “Over here is the kitchen . . . back there the bathroom and water closet, and here . . .”

He opened the door at the end of the hall. Again, nothing particularly fancy – a desk, a chair, a bureau. But it was the one thing that both of them most wanted to see. Both sets of eyes focused on the bed.

“I definitely know what 'here' is,” Ruiza said, turning toward Tatusya, closing the last few inches between them.

“So do I,” Tatsuya said. “Where we want to be.”

Before they knew it, they were kissing hard and fast and deep – in fact, to Tatsuya, it felt like the most intense kisses of his life. He held the other man closer, pushing his tongue into his mouth, moaning softly in his throat.

Ruiza pulled away from him, breathing heavily – and reaching behind him. The sound of a zipper filled the room. He just had to get the dress open enough to yank it over his head . . .

He got it on the first try. He pulled the dress up and off, tossing it on the bedroom floor – and thus fulfilling Tatsuya's fantasy.

Except the other man was even more beautiful than Tatsuya thought he'd be. He ran his eyes up and down the bare torso, the flat stomach, the garter belt that was holding up his stockings, and then the black bikini underwear . . .

Don't just stand there gawking, he told himself. Get your own clothes off. Nothing's going to happen if you're fully dressed. He slid off his jacket, pulled off his tie, and unbuttoned his shirt as fast as his fingers could move. His pants landed on the floor next to the shirt, and he just kept going, peeling off his socks and underwear.

Then, he froze. Oh, hell, he thought, did I go too far? Take it too fast? Maybe I should have stopped at the shirt and pants? What if I drive him off? Maybe I should put my underwear back on . . .

But Ruiza approached him, slowly, running a hand down his chest. “I like,” he said, with a sly smile.

“Like . . . what?” Tatsuya said.

“Everything.”

Ruiza quickly stripped off his garter belt and stockings, then his underwear, and pulled Tatsuya into his arms, kissing him hard again . . . and as soon as they felt the contact of their naked flesh, both men moaned. They moved toward the bed, stumbling in their efforts to reach their destination without letting go of one another, tumbling to the mattress in a heap.

They rolled over so Ruiza was on top, and the blond wasted no time in kissing along his lover's neck, running his tongue along it, a hot, wet trail. This is happening, Tatusya thought. This is really happening. It's not a dream, or a fantasy.

His hands slid down his new lover's back. His skin was so smooth, so soft and warm . . . the texture was like finest satin. And Tatsuya kept moving down more, and more . . .

Before he knew it, his fingers were gliding over a perfectly shaped ass. He felt himself hardening even more as he squeezed the firm flesh, then slowly released it, then squeezed it again. He cupped his hands over the curves, moving them up and down, feeling the shape.

“Oh,” Ruiza moaned. “Tatsuya . . .” He stretched his neck upward, and Tatsuya took advantage of the exposed flesh, kissing it softly, tonguing it, moving downward slowly.

Ruiza tipped his head back more, eyes closed, hands tangled in the other man's hair. He shifted his body upward, so his chest was level with Tatsuya's mouth.

“Suck,” he gasped. “Please. . .”

Tatsuya knew what the other man wanted. He brought his lips to one of those delicious nipples, tongue coming out to stroke it, running back and forth over it before he drew it in, sucking gently.

God, he'd never experienced anything like this before. He felt and tasted so good. The feel of the hard bud against his tongue was erotic delight, made all the hotter by the way his lover trembled beneath him.

He pulled his lips away, only to move them to the other nipple, wrapping them around the bud, holding them there, licking, pulling his tongue back, licking again. He sucked, and Ruiza let out a long, low groan, his usual elegance disappearing in the raw heat of their shared passion.

Ruiza shifted again, bringing his lips back to Tatsuya's, and they kissed hard, their hands moving down each other's bodies, both seeking the same thing. Tatsuya's fingers closed around Ruiza's cock just as Ruiza did the same to him, and they began to stroke slowly, familiarizing themselves with textures and curves and sensitive spots.

They took note of what made each other moan the loudest, of how Tatsuya liked being caressed at the base of the head, and Ruiza arched forward when Tatusya's fingers teased the opening at the very top. Their hands slid up and down shafts, fingers moving and dancing and stimulating.

“You're delicious,” Tatsuya moaned, as caressing fingers ran down to his balls, lightly teasing, then moving back up his cock. “You're so delicious . . .”

“I want to know just how delicious you can be,” Ruiza whispered.

“How?”

“Like this.”

And Ruiza was rolling away from Tatusuya, the two letting go of each other, and Tatusya's hand instantly felt cold, missing that hard, intense heat. He watched his lover shift position on the bed, turning himself around, moving his leg so he was straddling Tatsuya's shoulders.

Ruiza leaned way over, opening his mouth, and his tongue began to stroke the head of his lover's erection, moving back and forth over it, then sliding down to that sensitive area his fingers had found before.

He slowly licked around the base of the head, and Tatsuya arched forward, crying out – and his lips bumped into Ruiza's erection. Of course – they were in a position to pleasure each other like this, weren't they?

Tatsuya lifted his head, starting to take as much of Ruiza as he could into his mouth. Ruiza slid down further, taking Tatsuya into his lips and sucking, pulling back, tonguing the head again, then moving down. He began to move in rhythm, speeding up little by little, as Tatusya sucked harder, his fingers running up and down the part of his shaft he couldn't get into his mouth.

They both started to move faster, the sucking getting more intense, Ruiza pulling Tatsuya all the way out of his mouth so he could stroke his tongue slowly from the root to the tip, then Tatsuya doing the same thing to Ruiza. 

They wrapped their lips around each other again, both moaning in their throats, moving faster and harder, Ruiza now taking Tatsuya deeper than he could ever remember taking any man in his mouth, Tatsuya making love to Ruiza with lips and tongue, sucking, then licking, then sucking again.

They were both writhing, grinding, thrusting into one another's mouths, in an erotic frenzy . . . and then a sweep of Tatusya's tongue in a particularly sensitive spot made Ruiza cry out, his whole body stiffening . . .

Before Tatsuya knew it, his lover was letting out a ferocious, primal cry, and there was hot wetness pouring into his mouth, then on his face. It felt glorious.

Ruiza managed to keep enough of his wits about him to keep sucking, to wrap his lips around Tatusya and move down on him again and again and again . . . and then, Tatusya felt an explosion of pleasure unlike anything he'd ever experienced. He lifted his hips, letting out a loud yell as delicious feelings swept through him, and swept through him again, until he was absolutely and completely drained.

Ruiza moved back up so they could kiss each other's lips again, clinging to one another, tasting themselves on each other's mouths, feeling sweat-damp skin. Both were basking in an afterglow that was as warm and sweet as honey left in the sun.

“I don't think I've ever felt quite like this before,” Ruiza said, breathlessly.

“Neither have I,” Tatusya said. “You were . . . wonderful. Just wonderful.”

“Mmm.” Ruiza snuggled against him. “You're not getting rid of me easily now.”

“I wouldn't want to,” Tatusya said. “You're not getting rid of me, either.”

“Being stuck with you doesn't sound bad at all,” Ruiza said. He kissed the other man. “I'm so glad I went to the ball. So, so glad.”

“So am I,” Tatusya whispered. “So am I.”

* * *

They woke up later, cuddled and kissed some more, and grabbed a quick shower, with lots of washing each other and kissing. Afterward, they snuggled under the covers again.

“I do want to bring one thing up,” Tatusya said. “Not bad, I promise.”

“What is it?” Ruiza said.

“When it comes to sex, well . . .” Tatsuya shifted a little. “I don't usually like . . . penetration. I mean, I know most guys do that, but . . . for some reason, it doesn't do much for me. Either being on the giving or the receiving end. It's weird, I know . . .”

“It's not weird,” Ruiza said. “It's just what you like and don't like, that's all.”

“You're . . . not disappointed, are you?”

“Why should I be?” Ruiza said. “Not when there's so many other wonderful, delicious things we can do. Like . . .”

Their lips came together again. Which led to hands exploring bodies, lips moving along naked flesh, moans and sighs and murmurs that this was so, so good . . .

And, ultimately, Ruiza on top of Tatsuya, their mouths caressing one another, their cocks rubbing together, their hips grinding. Tatsuya gripped Ruiza's ass again, moaning as he felt hardness sliding against hardness, the shape of Ruiza's erection pressing against his own flesh, the wetness of the droplets of precome from them both.

“More,” Tatsuya gasped, and Ruiza moved faster, grinding harder, hips pumping as he moved against his lover. Tatsuya's hips matched Ruiza's pace, moving against him stroke for stroke, looking up at the beauty above him, how his face bore an expression of pure, unbridled passion.

The two men moaned louder as their movements sped up, slowed down, then sped up again, becoming more intense, more urgent, sending both of them hurling toward an absolute ecstasy.

Tatsuya cried out first this time, his whole body arching forward as he lost himself in unbridled pleasure, and then Ruiza let out his own cry right afterward, his head buried in Tatsuya's shoulder as he trembled with heated delight.

The two fell to the bed together, kissing softly. “I want this night to last forever,” Tatsuya murmured.

“It doesn't have to end,” Ruiza replied. “We could have this happen again . . . and again . . . and again. Any time we want to.”

Neither said it out loud, but as they snuggled together, both were entertaining thoughts of a shared apartment, of being there when the other woke up every single morning. Of starting to build a life together.

In short, of forever.

* * *

Ruiza just about waltzed back into his own apartment the next day.

Fortunately, the ball was held on a weekend night, so he and Tatsuya could stay in bed until . . . well, the sun was pretty high up by the time they made it to the kitchen. And then, their breakfast was punctuated with kisses (since they'd both brushed their teeth) and endearments and where-do-we-go-from-here talk.

“We have something,” Tatsuya said. “And I want to see where it goes from here.”

“So do I,” Ruiza said. “I like where it's going already.”

“So from now on,” Tatsuya said, “we're 'official.'”

“I thought you'd never ask,” Ruiza said, leaning over for another kiss.

He only came home because, well, they weren't quite ready to be spending 24/7 together yet, plus he had to see his brother, and walk the dog, and . . .

“So, how was the evening?” Kazuki said, coming out of the kitchen.

“Wonderful!” Ruiza said. “Terrific! Everything I wanted and more.”

“And since you're just now coming in,” Kazuki said, “emphasis is on the 'and more.'”

“Ack!” Ruiza said. “Come on, Kazuki!”

“Hey, who's happier for you than me?” Kazuki said. “You've found this guy. You're happy. Now what?”

“Well . . .” Ruiza sat down. “We work it out, day by day. We learn each other's likes and dislikes.”

“Bet you did some of that last night,” Kazuki said.

“KAZUKI!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“But seriously,” Ruiza said, “I was thinking this morning . . . I know now why I was in the Culling.”

“Why?” Kazuki said.

“Because, deep down, I wanted to elevate my life,” Ruiza said. “I was stuck on a boring treadmill back home – and I didn't even realize it. I knew that being in the Culling would change my life forever. And, well . . . it did. I'm a leader now instead of just another technician churning out scents. I'm living in an exciting place rather than a small city we moved to in order to get away from the sticks. And . . .” He smiled. “I have Tatsuya.”

“So you realized it,” Kazuki said.

“What do you mean?” Ruiza said.

“I saw the rut you'd gotten yourself into back home,” Kazuki said. “I saw you staying in the same job, not really advancing, not really finding a real boyfriend, not really going anywhere. And I saw you were getting frustrated – but you were afraid to say it out loud. I was going to suggest we try living in another city for awhile . . . and then, the Culling came along. It was like a gift from a fairy godmother. You're now the Ruiza you were always meant to be.”

“You think so?” Ruiza said.

“I know so,” Kazuki said. “I know my little brother more than anyone.” He patted Ruiza's shoulder. “Go get some rest, I'll walk the dog. You obviously didn't get much sleep last night.”

“Argh!” Ruiza said – but he knew Kazuki was right. He didn't get much sleep at all. And that was a very good thing.

This had been, in many ways, the first night of the rest of his life.

* * *  
Word that they were “official” got out pretty quickly – and it resulted in some very excited friends. Subaru hugged Ruiza for about five minutes straight, saying over and over, “I am so, so, so happy for you!”

Yo-ka, meanwhile, slapped Tatsuya on the back hard when he friend told him the news. “I told you! I told you that you had the potential to be happy again! Now, you go make Ruiza the happiest man alive, or I'll smack you!”

The two of them were seen around the halls quite a bit, holding hands and whispering to each other and even sneaking kisses in the lunchroom. It was very obvious to anyone who looked at them that they were the happiest of couples – and that made Ruiza all the happier. He felt like the whole world was sharing in the joy of this relationship.

Ruiza's scents were presented to the royal family a few weeks after the ball. Of course, Yo-ka and Toya immediately fell in love with theirs, and the queen said it “surpassed my expectations. You truly do have talent.”

But both Ruiza and the king were shocked that the king actually liked his. “It wasn't the first thing I'd pick to wear,” he said, “but it most definitely captures what I'm all about. It's what I'm going to wear from now on.”

However, when the fragrances went on the market, the one that sold the most wasn't any of the royal ones. No, it was the fragrance that had been inspired by Tatsuya – which Ruiza ended up calling My Heart for Men.

The public can always tell when an artist's heart is truly in his work – and that includes the manufacture of scents.


End file.
